Apartheid Laws (South Africa)

Apartheid

The policy of racial segregation introduced by the South African government in 1948.

Grand Apartheid

Established separate racial homelands and areas across South Africa.

Petty Apartheid

Segregated public facilities (like transport, schools)

Population Registration Act (1950, 1952)

• Required that every person be classified within a hierarchy specified as white, colored, Asian, or Bantu (black African). 

• Each group's political, civil, economic, and social rights decreased according to their race

• Only whites could vote

Group Areas Act (1950)

• Formally divided South Africa into territories where the different race groups had to live.

• The areas designated for the Blacks were called Bantustans.

• Blacks had no property rights in the White areas, and could only live there with state permission.

Prohibition of Mixed Marriages / Immorality Acts (1949-50)

• White Africans and non-whites were prohibited to marry. 

• Intended to separate the races by preventing sexual relations between them. 

• The punishment would be fines and prison terms. Blacks would have a harsher punishment.

Bantu Self-Government / Authorities Act (1950/1951)

• Divided territories designated for blacks into “bantustans” (or “homelands”) based upon 10 tribal groupings. 

• Stripped blacks of their rights to participate in the national government of South Africa.

• Instead, blacks only had the right to vote for the puppet governments in their territory.

The Pass Laws (1952)

• Passbooks were replaced with comprehensive documents that native Africans were required to carry. The documents included 96-page booklets that included one’s employment record, tax payments, and reports. 

• A Black person was required to present his/her passbook any time on demand. Otherwise, it was considered a criminal offense. 

• A permit would be required for a Black to go to a city, and they could only stay for only 72 hours, otherwise they would have to pay a fine or were imprisoned if they couldn’t pay. This prevented them from finding new work.

• Prevented the movement of Blacks into cities. 

• The government could better survey the Black population, including politicians.

Separate Amenities Act (1953)

• Enforced the segregation of all public facilities. 

• The main aim was to eliminate any and all contact between white people and other races. 

• Signs were erected indicating areas that were for “Europeans Only” or “Non-Europeans Only”. 

• The Act also stated that facilities provided for the different races need not be equal, with the result that the white areas were always of a better standard and more convenient than for the other races.

Bantu Education Act (1953)

• Provided an inferior and separate education for black children and youth. 

• Its objective was to direct young black people into lower level jobs. 

• Trained children to do manual labor.

Public Safety Act (1953)

• Empowered the government to declare states of emergency and increased penalties for protestors.

• The penalties included fines, imprisonment and whippings. 

• The government could back-date a state of emergency to protect the police if they acted violently.

Natives Resettlement Act (1954)

• The law permitted the government to remove African residents (mostly black-owned properties) from Johannesburg (Sophiatown, Martindale, Newclare) to a different government settlement (in Meadowlands).